A middle aged man today kidnapped a set of male twin toddlers at the Ekeki Motor Park area of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital. According to reports, the mother of the twins, Taiwo and Kehinde, Mrs Modupe Joseph, roasts corn along the road.

This afternoon, she went out of her shop to buy some things and left her five children in the care of her neighbor, one Aisha Ahmed and the kidnapper came to her sales point, pretending to buy corn. Funmi who is the twins older sister said the man gave her N200 to go and buy food for the twins.

Crying uncontrollably, Funmi said she refused to collect the money and told the man that herself and her siblings had eaten back at home and that they were not hungry. After much pestering, she collected the money from the man and went to buy the food, leaving her brothers in the care of a total stranger. It was while she was away the man whisked the toddlers into his car and sped off.

“The man gave me N200 to buy food for my brothers but I told him that they have they eaten but he insisted, so I collected the money. Before I returned, he had carried my brothers away,” she said.

When questioned, Aisha whom Mrs Modupe had left her children with, said the kidnapper also succeeded in distracting her by giving her N1000 to also buy food for the children. According to her, the man said he needed change in lower Naira denominations.

“One man came to me and gave me N1,000 note to buy three plates of food for the children so that he could have change in his hand, but I asked him to bring the money so I would buy a recharge card for him to get change. While I went to get the recharge card, I saw the eldest among the children (Funmi) and I queried her for leaving the kids, but she told me that the man gave her N200 to buy food for the children. When we returned, we did not see the two boys. I don’t know what has happened to them.” Aisha said

The mother of the twins who wept uncontrollably, said ”I left my children with my friend Aisha to buy salt at Tombia junction. Now they are telling me that my babies are nowhere to be found. If I don’t see my children, I will die.”

Confirming the incident, the state police command’s spokesperson, DSP Asinim Butswat, said the command has already commenced investigation into the matter and that the kidnapper will soon be arrested and the twins rescued safely.